Life at 15 Weeks Pregnant – the Changes are Getting Noticeable

My personal blog and pregnancy guide, read up on the 15th week of the term and find all the information you need in one place from the first-person perspective.

Life is Getting Different in a Major Way – Kicking, Cravings and Gravity Issues

Little by little, the bundle of joy keeps growing inside of me. I can feel this through my clothes – literally, because all my clothes are very tight now. I can’t say I’m bothered by this; it just means that the baby is growing healthily and that I will be able to hold him in my arms soon. Well, later.

Baby Talk

I can’t see my baby yet – but I feel him kicking. A lot, compared to last week. I can see that my baby has now learned how to stretch his limbs and bend its elbows – and he has gotten big enough now so that I can feel him kicking around. “Mommy, I want ice cream.” “Mommy, I’m bored.” “Mommy, I love you.” Yes, darling, at this point I can feel your kicks of love.

Apparently, at this point in the pregnancy, the baby is barely the size of an orange or an apple. His bones are continuing to grow, and he finally looks like a baby – not just an embryo. Even so, while his body is becoming more and more developed, his skin is still fairly translucent at this point. You would still be able to see his veins, since his body has not yet fully matured.

Mamma’s boy is also getting a hip hairstyle at this point. He is starting to grow very fine hair, which will continue to get longer until the beginning of the third trimester.

At this point, it seems that my baby can also sense light and form taste buds. He can’t see or taste much inside the uterus, and his eyes are still shut – but I’m told that if I shine a flashlight directly on my tummy, the baby will try to move away from it. I’ve got to try this out)

As for the taste buds – this would probably also explain why I’m craving cheesecake at 3 AM. My husband is a little puzzled that his son is already saying that he’s hungry. Sorry, daddy, live with it.

Mommy’s Body at 15 Weeks Pregnant

Morning sickness is not that bad anymore, but I am still experiencing other symptoms of the 15th week of pregnancy. And by symptoms, I don’t just mean my belly becoming bigger and bigger. That’s something I will have to deal with. Still, I finally look pregnant!

My baby is growing – and at this point, my organs are also starting to shift around in my body. My baby needs his own space, after all – therefore, stomach, move over! Still, now that I no longer have my stomach in place (ha, ha), I also can’t eat that much anymore in one go. Because of this, I’ll have to eat more often – I’m practically eating for two at this point.

The 15th week is usually the time where women start feeling heartburn, and I’m not an exception. Flatulence and indigestion are also not uncommon. It seems that my organs still haven’t adjusted to the fact that they now have a roommate.

My blood flow is also stronger because my body knows it has to get extra nutrients. Because of this, however, I tend to go to the bathroom fairly often. It seems that my body is retaining a lot of water because not much comes out when I go.

My nose gets also fairly stuffy very often. At first, I thought I was catching a cold, so I obviously panicked. In my head, colds and pregnancies did not go well together – so I went to the doctor.

In simple words, they told me to “chill.” Almost every pregnant woman has a stuffed nose at this point, and the cause is a combination of the increased blood flow and pregnancy hormones. They even have a name for it: pregnancy rhinitis. The doctor said I might also experience some nosebleeds due to the fact that my blood volume is literally flooding in every direction.

My breasts have already gotten bigger; that’s a plus. However, at this point, my breasts aren’t the only things that are getting bigger: my joints, hips, and everything are following suit as well. Since the baby needs a place to stretch inside my body, it’s obvious that I’ll have to get bigger – and my body knows it. The size of the belly at 15th week of pregnancy varies very widely between women, I’m somewhere around the average, and while it’s definitely visible in tighter clothes, I can still get away with my regular oversized tops.

The thing is, it doesn’t seem to stop just around the hips, and before long I probably won’t be able to wear my favorite strapped sandals anymore; at least not until my baby is born.

The Brain and the Psyche

If there’s anything I’ve noticed around this time in my pregnancy, it’s that I have actually become a scatterbrain. I used to never forget a date or drop anything before – but now it’s happening more than ever.

As my doctor says, there’s no study to explain why we suddenly get so forgetful – but some changes in our body can explain why, all of a sudden, we are so clumsy. Every pregnant woman goes through this, to the point that most women call it “placenta brain.”

Add this to the fact that you are suddenly getting bigger and bigger, and it’s easy to understand why your center of gravity is no longer keeping up with you. You’ve been walking and supporting the same weight for years, but now you have to adjust to the new weight, and quick. It’s clear why I now tend to trip over my own feet.

I am also tired a lot; which again, is understandable. At this point, I’m providing energy for two, and my body is subjected to a fair amount of stress. Still, it’s not that easy for me to take some time for that extra hour of sleep – particularly since I need to be careful about how I sleep.

According to my doctor, though, it’s perfectly normal for me to feel a little bit tired. I’m trying to convince myself that this is no biggie compared to how tired I’ll be when the baby is born.

Final Thoughts

My baby is growing, kicking, and letting me know that he is on his way. I may be barely entering the second trimester, but right now, it makes me happy to see that everything is becoming real. Mommy is waiting for you!